Luristan, modern-day Iran, ca. 1000 to 600 BCE. This is a large, heavy, lost-wax cast bronze axe head with a downward curving blade and a simple round socket with rims on both top and bottom. Ancient Luristan was a series of parallel fertile valleys in northwestern Iran in the Zagros Mountains. The level of artistry displayed in their bronze work is much finer and more ornate than any of their contemporaries. This is all the more remarkable considering that there is a lack of native copper ores in that region, so Luristan must have been part of a wide trading network -- and indeed, we know that they had contacts with the Kingdom of Elam, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia. There must have been a particularly inspired artistic tradition within Luristan itself to produce functional but beautiful items like this one. Size: 6.55" L x 2.75" W (16.6 cm x 7 cm).

Provenance: Ex-Estate of John Piscopo. Mr. Piscopo was one of the largest collectors of ancient weapons in the US with a collection that spanned all cultures, all ages.

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#112917

Excellent form and shape, with very dark patina.